Say it with a letter, women urge lovers

Men are being urged to cast aside their mobile phones, whip out their pens and revive the dying art of writing love letters as part of a government campaign backed by the romantic novelist Jilly Cooper.

A new survey for the Department for Education and Skills supporting the drive to improve adult literacy and numeracy reveals that women would far rather receive a handwritten love letter rather than an amorous email or text. Its national campaign offers free courses to help adults brush up on their reading and writing skills.

Of the 2,000 women in the UK surveyed, 77% wanted to receive a handwritten love letter rather than a love text or email - indicating that hi-tech methods of communication are not good enough for today's modern women.

One in five (19%) women say they have never received a love letter from a loved one or an admirer. And almost half (44%) of those surveyed said it had been more than a decade since they last received one.

Cooper, whose bestselling novels include Rivals, Polo and Riders - said: "After my first date with my husband, Leo, nearly 45 years ago, he sent me a love letter saying he couldn't wait to see me again. I was totally bowled over that this cool, hunky, darkly handsome, incredibly witty rugby player could also express his feelings so enchantingly. I'm convinced women everywhere feel exactly the same way. So come, boys, get your pens out. All you need say to your sweet wife or partner is, 'You're the best in the world and I love you.'"

Asked which celebrity they would most like to receive a love letter from, the women surveyed put Johnny Depp at the top of their list: he got 12% of the vote with Brad Pitt coming a close second.

The Get On campaign is part of the government's Skills for Life strategy, which aims to help 2.25 million learners gain a qualification by 2010. The campaign, featuring the now-famous gremlin character, was launched in 2001 to target the millions of people with literacy, numeracy and language needs.